Revelation 6:1-17 Part 5

1)And I watched when the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals; and I heard one of the four creatures speaking as thunderous sound: “COME”!

2)And, LO!A white horse.And the One sitting upon it holding a bow, a crown having been given to Him.And He did come out overcoming and that He may overcome.

3)And when He did open the second seal, I heard the second creature speaking: “COME”!

4)And another did come out, a red horse; and to the one sitting upon it having been given to take the peace from the earth, so that one might slaughter the other, a great sword having been given to him.

5)And when He did open the third seal, I heard the third creature speaking: “COME”!And, LO!A black horse, and the one sitting upon it holding a scale in his hand.

6)And I heard as it were a sound in midst of the four creatures, saying “a chaenix of corn for a denarious, and three chaenixes of barley for a denarious; and do not unjustly injure the olive tree and the vine”.

7)And when He opened the fourth seal I heard a sound from the fourth creature speaking: “COME”!

8)And, LO!A pale horse.And the one sitting upon it named “the death”, and “the hades” was following him closely; and authority was given them over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword, with famine, with plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

9)And when He did open the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the lives of those who had been slaughtered because of the Word of God and because of the testimony that they were holding.

10)And in a great sound they did cry out, saying “until when, holy and worthy Master, are You not judging and avenging our blood from those dwelling on the earth?

11)And a white priestly garment was given to each one, and it was spoken to them that they should rest themselves yet a little time until also their fellow-servants and brothers who are about to be killed even as they should be fulfilled.

12)And when He did open the sixth seal a great shaking did occur, and the sun became as black as sackcloth hair, and the entire moon became as blood,

13)And the stars of heaven did fall into the earth as a fig tree casts her winter figs upon being shaken by a great wind,

14)And the heaven was swept aside as a scroll being rolled up, and all the mountains and islands were moved out of their places.

15)And the kings of the earth and the great men and the princes and the chiliarchs and the wealthy and the powerful and every slave and free did conceal themselves into the caverns and into the clefts of the mountains

16)and saying to the mountains and the rocks, “fall upon us and conceal us from the Presence of the One sitting upon the throne and the wrath of the Lamb,

17)because the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

The One with the seven horns and the seven eyes has taken the scroll with the seven seals from the right of the throne, having been proclaimed by all in the heaven and all in the creation the only “worthy One”.Having “overcome the world”, and having “taken away the sin of the world”, by His sacrifice between the four horns of the altar, He now stands in the midst of the throne with the four cherubim holding the seven-fold scroll of covenantal and prophetic fullness!

Having already proclaimed by His Own Word that He would, once again, “shake heaven and earth”, He looses the first seal.And one of the four living creatures which form the four corners of the mercy seat/throne of Almighty God utters a pealing, booming, heaven-shaking and thunderous word…..”COME”!

And bursting forth from the heaven, in full stride, is the first of the four horses and its horseman, all four having been waiting patiently under the shade of Zechariah’s myrtle tree (Zechariah chapter one).

The full battle array of Elisha’s heavenly horses and chariots have abandoned the Mount of Zion; and the four horsemen stride forth to the “beginning of travails” – the four sore judgments of Moses and Isaiah and Ezekiel and Daniel.

God’s “heaven and earth” – Israel – will “shake” as at Sinai; and many will die from the sword; and many will die of famine; and many will die of pestilence.All of this “beginning of travails” preceding the birth of the “daughter of Zion”.

God will, once again, choose Jerusalem (as Zechariah was told); and from the birth pangs would come forth a beautiful daughter…. one covered by the blood of the Lamb slain at the four corners of the altar; one feeding on the body of El Shaddai (the breasted One); one with a new name, and described as “the new heavens and the new earth” and “the new Jerusalem”, and having a new temple; a daughter with a new heritage; one who would fill the earth with the knowledge of God, so that all nations and tongues and tribes would know Him – that He is God.

In Revelation nineteen the Rider on the while horse is followed by all white horses; but here only the first is white.And as John looks on he sees this first horse in full stride (the white one); and its Rider has already been crowned!That’s passive, by the way; and we know Who received the crown upon finishing His work and ascending into the glory cloud.

And let me just mention this once again, because it’s important to the text….We have John writing to the Churches of several different appearances of our Lord that he has seen.And hear this, now; these are views of Jesus Christ that have preceded John in the prophets; and there are views of the Christ having now completed some of His work; and there are more views of the Christ in His work that is proceeding (as we read this text); and there are views of the Christ in His work yet to be done (as we read this, and later, chapters)!

I think this is a really good example, isn’t it, of our being required to think God’s thought after Him and see from His perspective, rather than imposing some human logic which questions how Jesus can appear in more than one place at the same time!But it’s very obvious that John is being made privy to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ in all of its facets, as he sees what the Word of God has done, what He is doing, and what He’s going to do!

Now, on this occasion, John sees our Lord bursting forth from a thunderous word from the throne for a purpose!And His appearance to John is such that that appearance is because of that purpose.He is “coming forth” because of the work that He is about to do.

And He has a “crown”.And in order for us to get the full impact of this, we have to know where the crown came from, don’t we?What is a crown?Why is there such a thing as a crown?Why is it here?Why does this Rider, our Lord Jesus Christ, have it?And why is it that the crown is the sure indication that this is the risen, ascended and glorified Savior of mankind Who was crowned King of Kings at His ascension to glory?

It’s interesting to note that, all through the history of man, there have been crowns.Kings and queens of nations have always worn crowns.A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity or by the head of a religion, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, honour, and even glory of life after death.

In art, where we get so much information about items from early history such as this, the crown appears often; and it may even be shown being offered to those on earth by angels.Apart from the traditional form, crowns also may be made of, for example, flowers, stars or oak leaves and be worn by others, representing what the coronation part aims to symbolize with the given specific crown. Crowns often contain jewels of various colors, too.

We have artistic representations of the crowns worn by rulers all the way back to the Persian empire.Pagan religions had crowns for their high priests.The popes of Roman catholicism all wear crowns with diadems, and the royal heads of some modern states all have crowns for their state functions.

This may be interesting for you to note as well: the corona radiata, the "radiant crown" known best on the Statue of Liberty on Staten Island in New York, and perhaps worn by the Helios that was the Colossus of Rhodes, was worn by pagan Roman emperors, part of the cult of Sol Invictus. It was referred to then as "the chaplet studded with sunbeams” by Lucian, in about 180 AD.In Greek mythology, the ancient sun god Helios was believed to ride his golden chariot across the heavens daily, giving light to gods and mortals. He alone could control the fierce horses that drew his fiery chariot.Sound familiar?Well, it certainly should.The only place that mythological figure could have come from is God’s Word as it reveals the armies of horses and chariots in the heaven!

The creation exists, and mankind operates, in that which is in the likeness of God’s judgment seat/throne-room.And kings and priests and philosophers and intellectuals and scientists and astrologers and poets and artesans and musicians all do their thing while existing and living and working within this creation (which is in the likeness of God and His throne-room).They can’t help but imitate it, because they all exist in the likeness!

So it is unavoidable that much of what they do bears some form of a likeness of the heaven!(The trouble, of course, is that many refuse to acknowledge that, and they refuse to give thanks to God and give Him the glory.Instead, they use all the likenesses to their own ends.)

And, in addition to the creation, there is God’s Revelation written, which explains it all in inspired words!And the written Revelation is totally consistent with the creation!But, rather than reading the explanation and submitting to God’s Revelation of Himself and His creation, fallen mankind’s sin and rebellion and guilt is potentiated by the written record!It’s made much worse, in other words!

But, nevertheless, the record in the creation and the record in the written Word of God is all there for fallen man to imitate for his own ends!And the imitation is almost always aberrant and deviant!As the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter one, that men make images of things that have been created; and they worship thoseimages rather than the One Who made the originals.

But…..back to the crown, what is it that preceded the things that man has devised for himself and brought forth his devious imitations?What is it that existed prior that caused emperors and kings and priests to conceive crowns for themselves?What existed previous to artesans and mystics and philosophers and poets and musicians and architects using their talents to fashion the concept of “crown”?

Should you take a public class on the history of religion, or read a book on the subject, you would, in all probability, hear that all religions have similar origins; and that no matter when they started, they all have their usefulness to the masses who follow them, because all religions, having had similar origins, have an equality of status.

But, as explained here before, all religions of human origin are deviant imitations of that which is revealed in God’s creation and in His inspired Word.And that is also true for most anything else that you can think of, as it pertains to fallen mankind.We take the Revelation of God in His creation and in His Word, and we pervert it and we twist it and we turn it upside down (like the crown, as one example) and we make it fit our own perceptions (such as the “crown of thorns”) until it bears little resemblance to its origin.And it certainly has little connection to the reason and purpose of its origin.

But, you see, the origin remains.Man’s perversions can’t evade the origin.God didn’t look upon His creation and see that the idea of “crown” was going to be conceived by man and then become pervasive in civilization all through history – and therefore, as a result of that foresight, made one of these in the heaven.No!Instead, the opposite is true.The idea of “crown”, the existence of “crown”, extends through mankind’s history because it is in the likeness of that which is in the heaven.

What we need to do then is to read God’s Revelation of Himself with regard to “crown” so we’ll have some idea of what it is and what it means (that in order to know Him better).Remember, His Own stated purpose is that all the nations should know that He is God!And then, secondarily, we can observe man’s many deviant imitations of that which is in the heaven.

We’re still learning that our minds should be in the heavenlies, attempting to see things from God’s perspective rather than from man’s…… to see all of God’s creation from the standpoint of the original concept rather than from man’s poor and deviant imitation.

As we address this issue of the crown, let’s just read from the other Revelation passages having to do with it.First is chapter fourteen and verse fourteen:

14)And I saw, and lo, a white cloud, and over the cloud one sitting like as a son of man, having upon his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle;

And once again from Revelation chapter nineteen:

11)And I saw the heaven opened; and LO, a white horse, and He that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.

12)And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He hath a name written which no one knoweth but He Himself.

13)And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14)And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.

15)And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

16)And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Should be obvious to everybody reading any of the three passages that it is Jesus Christ riding the white horse here in chapter six.And He has been given a crown.

And, also obviously, the crown given to Him is the one in the heaven after which the one made for Aaron was patterned!Remember, that God told Moses to make everything exactly like what he saw in the heaven when he was on Sinai.Moses was in the glory cloud throne-room of God, and he saw all of these things that he was commanded to make.He saw the crown!!

And after making four sided and four cornered “crowns” for the tops of all the four sided and four cornered pieces of furniture, this is what God required for Aaron (Exodus 39):

30)And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO YAHVEH.

31)And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.

And here’s where Moses, having had all of these things made, actually causes it all to take place as God had shown him.This is Leviticus chapter eight:

5)And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.

6)And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

7)And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.

8)And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.

9)And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.

You see… once again, Moses saw the original – the pattern – from which he was to construct the man-made, earthy tabernacle.And included in that original was the “crown” to be worn by The One Who would overcome the world!And he was to make a copy of that crown, which was to be placed on the forehead of the high priest of Israel.

The one which we now see on the Lord Jesus Christ as He bursts forth from the heaven on the white horse is the original, from which Moses made the copy.It was an exact replica.

Moses had spent forty days and forty nights in the glory cloud throne-room of God, looking at all that was there, and hearing our Lord describe all the components and what they were, and receiving the specific content of, and mathematical dimensions of, each and every item as it was to be replicated.

And the crown was to be a four-cornered plate of solid gold, just as the crown of the ark was four-cornered; it was to be four-cornered just as the crown of the mercy seat with its cherubim was four-cornered; it was to be four-cornered as the crown of the table of show-bread was four-cornered; it was to be four-cornered just as the crown of the incense table was four-cornered.

The crown that Moses was to make was a four-cornered plate of gold that was to be fit over the forehead of Aaron the priest, having been attached to his “headband” (Hebrew: mitzfeneh).And on the golden plate – the crown – was to be inscribed the words: “HOLY TO YAHVEH”.

This is what Moses saw in the throne-room; this is what Moses made – the exact replica; and this is what we see our Lord wearing as He rides forth overcoming and to overcome.It’s the same one!

At this point I think we’ll just proceed with the text, and I’ll allow you the joy of pondering the deviant imitations of God’s crown as we see them depicted through history.

But as we’ve seen in the Revelation text, the elder creatures have cast their crowns at His feet in praise.And the Scripture describes our Lord’s people as sitting with Him on His throne, with crowns of our own.And those crowns surely have His Name inscribed on them… Holy to Yahveh.

As John records, the Rider on the white horse has a bow.As we begin to look once more into our Lord’s bow, let me read for you what we learned in chapter four:

“After these I looked and, lo, a door having been opened in the heaven and the sound, the first that I heard as a trumpet, speaking to me saying “come up here and I will show you what is necessary to take place after these”.

Immediately I did come in spirit and, lo, a throne set in the heaven, and upon the throne One sitting,

and the One sitting like stone, jasper and sardonyx in appearance, and a bow round about the throne like emerald in appearance.

And round about the throne twenty-four thrones, and upon the thrones twenty four-elders having been clothed in white garments, and upon their heads gold crowns.”

And from Revelation chapter ten which, Lord willing, we’ll get to in due time, we read this:

1)And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven arrayed with a cloud; and the bow was over his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire;

2)and he had in his hand a little scroll open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth;

3)and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices.

When we come to this passage we’ll learn that our Lord does, indeed, appear as a powerful angel/messenger on many occasions throughout Scripture. And, in fact, the powerful angel/messenger is the very Word Himself spoken.

But, for now, the Rider coming forth from the heaven in full stride has His bow.In chapter four the bow appears over the throne.And in chapter ten it appears over the head of the powerful angel/messenger as He places His left foot on the earth (Israel), and His right foot on the sea (the teeming masses of Gentile pagans).

And where do we first read of God’s bow?It’s in Genesis chapter nine.And as we read it, please mark it – it is HIS bow.It is not just now created for Noah and his posterity.It already is.And it IS – over His throne!Listen:

8)And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

9)And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10)and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you. Of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.

11)And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12)And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13)I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.

14)And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,

15)and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16)And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17)And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

And where did the bow come from?It came from above the throne of God.Here is the description of the covenantal bow, as given to Moses in Exodus chapter twenty five:

17)And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

18)And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

19)And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof.

20)And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

21)And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

22)And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.(Exodus 25:17 – 22)

What Moses saw in the glory cloud at Sinai was exactly what Yahveh is requiring him to build.And in the “holy of holies” is the ark with the golden mercy seat on it, the cherubim being a part of that mercy seat; their wings forming an arc, or a bow, above the mercy seat – all of glistening gold.And God would meet with Him, just as he did at Sinai, in the man-made throne room/judgment seat, in between the cherubim, and under their wings.

Yahveh would meet with His people above His throne, under the bow formed by the wings of His cherubim; and that throne is a mercy seat!

For Noah (and all his posterity) God’s mercy seat throne, represented by the bow of His cherubim, was given as a sign of His covenant that He would never again inundate the earth.So the bow in the sky after the rain is a throne-room guarantee of the continuation of His covenant promises.He will have mercy; He will redeem His people.

Men and women and children from every nation can look into the sky after the rain; and they can actually see the sign of the covenant; they can actually see the bow that exists above the throne of God… the very one that He put there, that looks like the wings of the cherubim above the mercy seat!

The covenantal promise to Abraham would come to full fruition, for the stated purpose of God is that all the nations will know that He is God.

Here in our text John sees the King of Kings riding forth leading colored horses and their riders to a great slaughter and to terrible suffering.He leads them to the beginning of travail, subsequently giving birth to a new Israel and a new city of God.You see, He has made promises to once again choose Jerusalem.He has the “bow”, you see.The one from over the mercy seat.

There is judgment; there is also promise and deliverance, for He will always keep His promise.That’s why He has His bow.It is the bow over His MERCY SEAT!